Choosing to go to the same college as your high school best friend could be an incredibly fun experience you share and remember for the rest of your lives. It can also be what ends your friendship. It doesn’t matter how long you have been friends or how close you are, or how the ins and outs of your friendship work. The fact of the matter is, attending the same school as your best friend is a complex idea that deserves quite a bit of thinking. Certainly it can be done, but there’s a right way, and a wrong way. Check out these tips on how you and your best friends can attend the same school successfully!

Don’t Do Everything Together

People get sick of one another. Even if after ten years of friendship, and two week-long vacations together, you have never gotten sick of your best friend before, but if in college you do everything together, you will. This is why colleges tend not to match roommates with the same majors. Protect your friendship by rooming with other people, or taking classes at different times. Join different clubs. Eat meals with different people. This will ensure that you aren’t seeing too much of one another, and that you’re not growing dependent on each other.

Don’t Let Your Friendship Interfere with Your Social Life

Part of attending college is meeting new people and starting new relationships. Don’t let your friendship with your best friend hold you back from doing these things. If your high school friends are the only people you spend time with, or if you refuse to go to a club meeting or to get dinner without your best friend there, you’re missing out on one of the best opportunities college has to offer! Make sure that if you are attending the same school as your best friend that you both feel free to do your own thing with other friends in addition to one another.

Don’t Let Your Friendship Interfere with Your Future

College is all about preparing for your future. You will be given many opportunities such as the chance to become a resident assistant, to study abroad, or to take on an internship. You may find yourself wanting to transfer schools or switch majors so you can ensure that you’re receiving the best education for what you want to do. Don’t let your friendship with your best friend stop you from doing any of those things, as this can often lead to resentment. Make sure that you both feel free to pursue your dreams.

Don’t Let Your Friendship Hold You Back from Change

Nobody leaves for college and returns the same person. College is about identifying who you are and becoming comfortable with that. For many, this might mean letting go of high school, or becoming something other than what you were growing up in your home town. Keep in mind that your best friend will remember your past. Don’t let your friendship stop you from becoming the person you want to be.